Dear Esther Media Release

[stoopdapoop]

I'm guessing those stalagmites are just one model, scaled and rotated using the detail system.

Nope, when you spawn models with the detail system, they have to be unlit, and those models are definately not unlit. Not to mention that you have almost no control over their placement. He probably made 1 or 2 stalagmites/tites, put them into groups (in his modeling software, not in hammer), and placed the groups, it's easier to optimize and place that way.

And according to the wiki, there's a nasty DX overhead problem when placing lots of models, regardless of model complexity.

[Major Banter]

Oh dear it seems he may a slipped a bit (in my opinion). The lighting is of too high contrast and really just overloads the scene with colour which for caves doesn't really look good. After the beautiful subtle lighting of the first level this really had gone downhill. The rest of the level looks fine if not a bit too repetitive with some of the model but the lighting just really kills it for me.

The entire point of the caves is to be massively etheral; it's a place where reality meets other places.

It's not a generic cave, it's something much, much deeper than that and the myriad of lighting effects reflect that.

[MáØ]

stoop, you know he had someone recode a good portion of the detail code for his beach right? It is entirely possible he has had someone fix the problems with it and give them lighting. While it is possible he did it your way, it would have taken a very long time.

[Major Banter]

I expect he used models with those stalactmites. You don't get Phong on details, no matter how good your code is.

It's cheaper, quicker and easier to just use massive model stacks.

It's a UT process that few Source modellers do; and Briscoe has experience with Unreal. You remove your level geometry and place it into your modeller. Using a massive pack of pre-made models you place all of your models accordingly, crafting a scene as you go. When you're happy with a clutch, you export that clutch, and then add it into the editor.

That's how I expect he did it. If it's detailing, then I want that code.

[stoopdapoop]

stoop, you know he had someone recode a good portion of the detail code for his beach right? It is entirely possible he has had someone fix the problems with it and give them lighting. While it is possible he did it your way, it would have taken a very long time.

I didn't know that, but either way, I don't know how you're going to get passed a directX problem unless you find a way to cut down on the number of seperate models being drawn.

And don't be silly, there's nothing that would have taken a long time about my method, it's how I'm detailing things. Anyone with modeling experience would probably agree that it would take less time to duplicate some models in a modeling package, than it would take to set up and tweak a good looking set of detail groups in detail.vbsp Not to mention the freedom you get by hand.

[nub]

Oh...

My...

God...

[source-maps]

Oh...

My...

God...

Oh...

Your...

God...

[BaRRaKID]

I kinda agree with surfa. In the previous images the light was subtle which was what made the levels look so realistic (in fact I use one of those images as my wallpaper). Now the lights are more saturated and "obvious" which give an unrealistic feeling , something there doesn't look quite right. It might also be due to the specularity and reflectivity of the materials, which also seems a bit too exaggerated (I know it's supposed to look like the materials are wet, but it's looking more like plastic now).
Although I understand that the lights where made like this to draw attention to the most important areas of the cave and aid in navigation, as it is now it stands out too much from the previous levels.

[F0xHunter]

How can this become this?

Those two scenes are vastly different.

[Phott]

How can this become this?

Those two scenes are vastly different.

I don't know how to explain it really, but think of the story as a poem that leaves a lot of interpretation, what he has done is interpret and execute it in his own way.

[smokeythebear]

From the authors other preview:

If I wanted to make water took this good, where would I start? Is it possible to learn how to create shaders with very little programming experience?

[MrTwoVideoCards]

From the authors other preview:

If I wanted to make water took this good, where would I start? Is it possible to learn how to create shaders with very little programming experience?

Thats not anything special, it's an animated texture on a brush face overlaying the water.

Also guys, those stalagmites are props, not detail props. Thats so retarded it doesn't even make sense. Detail props, I lol'd.

[Armageddon]

I don't get how you find that underwater car in a cave? I mean there looks to be a sky above the water...

At Mr. 2 detail props can be models, but I agree it's stupid to do it that way.

[nub]

How'd he do the moving clouds though? Just a big dome model in the 3D Skybox with an animated/scrolling cloudy texture? That would be my best guess.

[trcc]

Valve is using moving clouds in L4D ( no mercy has some ) They just apply an animated texture on a circular shaped brush located in the 3dskybox